15 Heart-Melting Images of Dads Meeting Their Babies for the First Time

Yahoo Parenting•June 19, 2015

Few moments in life are as moving as when moms give birth and meet their baby for the first time … but what about dads? While this initial meet-and-greet between father and infant is rarely so celebrated, it’s just as emotional. So grab the tissues, moms! It’s time to watch these stoic male creatures melt into jelly, and you along with them.

As one photographer put it: Moms may feel bonded to their baby throughout the pregnancy, but it often doesn’t hit dads until they’re staring into their newborn’s eyes. That’s what makes these images so powerful — consider this an ode to fatherhood from the moment it begins.

“This dad is holding his newest little girl for the first time,” says photographer Jessica Heksem. “One of my favorite moments to capture – after mom’s face after the birth of their baby – is dad’s reaction. This is something that most moms don’t see because they are having their own bonding moments, so to catch those loving smiles that they have just melts my heart!”

"In this photo, dad comforts his brand new baby boy under the warming light,” says photographer Laura Eckert. In fact, according to birth photographers, the warming light is often the first place where dads get to meet and bond with their infant.

“This baby was laid on his mama’s chest as soon as he was born,“ says photographer Casandra Hawkins. "This was the moment his daddy got to see his son for the very first time.” (Photo: Denton Birth Photography)

After two losses, this happy and supportive father welcomed his double rainbow baby daughter into the world,” says photographer Jennifer Mason. “His strong wife labored for over 24 hours to bring baby earthside, and this dad was there every step of the way."

"This series of photos embodies everything becoming a father is to me,” says photographer Ashley Marston. “I look at it often, and it brings me right back to that moment. As the photographer, it was hard to keep my camera still. The tears were rolling down my cheeks. I could see the range of emotion in him. It had been a very long and emotional birth, there was relief, then awe, disbelief and then overwhelming love. A lot of the emotions we experience every day as parents — all captured in one very important moment.”

Skin to Skin

(Photo: Ashley Marston Birth Photography)

“There is no better feeling in this world than that first skin-to-skin contact with your fresh baby,” says photographer Marston. While skin-to-skin is something we typically think of babies doing with Mom, with Dad, it’s just as beautiful.

“A mother is said to feel like a parent throughout the pregnancy, but the moment a father first holds their child is profoundly life changing,” says photographer Ari Landworth. “This image is intended to impart the gravity of that moment.”